The FIA has announced that interim secretary general Shaila-Ann Rao will be leaving the FIA. Rao was a former employee of Mercedes who joined the FIA in June.
The FIA came out with a statement that contained no specific information about the reason of Rao’s departure. It is quite shocking as it hasn’t even been six months since she was appointed interim secretary general.
The statement explained that the FIA recruited Rao to help Mohammed Ben Sulayem because he was the new president. That period is over now, and therefore she is leaving.
BBC Sport has reported that Shaila-Ann Rao decided to leave by herself. She left the job because the FIA is being reorganized, and the new roles that might have been given to her wouldn’t have satisfied her professional demands.
Ben Sulayem, the current president of the FIA, said, “Shaila-Ann has provided me with great support in respect to Formula 1, always acting with professionalism and integrity.”
Red Bull targeted Shaila Ann-Rao due to her ties with Mercedes
Shaila Ann-Rao was at the center of the Cost Cap Breach controversy surrounding Red Bull. Red Bull has constantly questioned Rao about her former links with Mercedes. The top Red Bull officials have questioned how Mercedes got to know about the Breach of the Cost Cap by Red Bull.
Even though the news about Red Bull breaking the cost cap surfaced as a rumor in the paddock, the FIA soon confirmed it in their financial analysis. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed that it was Rao herself who first notified him about their breach in the cost cap.
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It should be noted that Mercedes wasn’t the only team who was aware of Red Bull’s violation. Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto had also spoken out about it. However, Red Bull mainly targeted Mercedes and Shaila Ann-Rao.
Ben Sulayem had subtly hinted at the departure of Rao during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix of 2022. He had said, “Her position is interim secretary general. What does interim mean?“
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However, the FIA president had always backed Rao. He had said, “Shaila-Ann has been supportive a lot to me and I see her intelligence on big decisions. I will defend my people.”
